11 Life Lessons Dogs Teach Us About What Matters The Most

A little over a year ago, my puppy walked into my life and changed everything. I had always wanted a dog--I begged and pleaded for years for a puppy of my own, and my wishes were finally granted. I knew that I would love my puppy with all my heart. I knew that he would become my best friend. I knew he would be faithful and love me unconditionally. I knew this, because I thought I knew all about dogs. However, I never realized how much I would learn from my little 15 pound puppy.

There are so many lessons we can learn from our dogs. The best lessons in life truly can come from the most unexpected places. Here are 11 life lessons brought to you from my dog:

1. Be Loyal

For someone who deals with commitment issues, seeing my dog's fierce loyalty to my family and I has been inexplicably valuable. He does not stray from our sides until he is sure we are safe, and still refuses to let us out of his sight. Dogs are pack animals, and their owners are their pack. My dog's unwavering loyalty has taught me to remain constant and dependable to my human pack.

2. Protect The Ones You Love

Dogs will always stand up for the ones they love, even if the situations are frightening for them. My little 15 pound puppy will stand up to anything that he deems a threat--even if it's a dog 5 times his size, or a menacing human. To him, nothing is more important than keeping me safe. Essentially, dogs teach us to remain courageous and strong in the face of threats to our loved ones. We need to always stand up for those we love.

3. There's Always Time To Play

No matter how tired he is, how long of a day he's had, or what he's doing in that moment, my dog will always come over to play with me when I get home. Dogs are such happy creatures--always jumping, running, and chasing. No matter how old they get, they'll always come over to play a game of fetch. They're good reminders to find the happy moments in life, and to rekindle those moments of joy we discovered in playtime as younger children. You never get too old to play, and your dog gives you an excuse to bring out the little kid that's still inside of you.

4. Live In The Moment, Enjoy The Little Things

It's so easy to make my puppy happy. A new toy doesn't need to be a $20 bone from the store--an old washcloth makes him just as happy to play tug of war with. Car rides may as well be a vacation in paradise. They'll stick their heads out the window, tongue hanging out and tails wagging, not caring about the destination. They live for the journey. Similarly, we need to recognize that while the goal is important, it's often the journey that means the most. Life is meant to be lived in the moment, yet this is one of the most overlooked lessons in our society.

5. FORGIVE others

We don't deserve dogs. Even after leaving them alone all day because we had to stay a few extra hours at work, or waking them up after coming home late after a night out, they forgive us. Instantly. Seeing our faces seems to erase any sort of qualms they may have had with our actions. Dogs never hold grudges, nor do they seek revenge. They are such pure, sweet creatures that forgive anything and everything as long as it is replaced with love. This may be one of the most important lessons I have learned from my puppy. Holding grudges is unhealthy for my body, and anger is bad for my soul. We must forgive others to achieve peace and happiness in our own lives.

6. Accept Yourself, Love Who You Are

I'm going to make an assumption here, since I can't read my dog's mind, but I'm pretty sure Rafiki isn't walking around wishing he was a Havanese instead of a Maltese or wishing his fur was jet black instead of snow white. Rather than becoming envious around other dogs, he simply wishes to play with them and make new friends. Humans, on the other hand, constantly seek to achieve an idealistic level of perfection that is just as unattainable as it is unreasonable. Instead, we need to accept who we are and love the individuals we are as God made us.

7. Never Be Afraid To Express Yourself

Humans often walk on eggshells when it comes to expressing our emotions in front of others. Dogs are simple. They love you? They'll give you kisses all over, whether in public or at home. If they're scared, they cry. Mad? They'll bark at you. Dogs are expressive with their emotions, rather than living in the fear of what others will think.

8. Be Understanding And Listen

Even though he probably doesn't understand what I say 80% of the time, my dog patiently sits and listens to me when I'm talking, venting or crying. His patience calms me down and makes me feel as though I'm not alone, that someone understands what I'm going through, and that someone cares. We need to make sure to do the same for those in our lives. Anyone can be a friend through the good, but very few people can stick around through the bad and ugly. By channeling a similar level of patience, compassion, and understanding as that exhibited by dogs, we can be better friends to those in our lives, and better humans in our world.

9. Accept Compliments

Many cultures call for turning down compliments or acting shy when praised by others. Dogs simply smile and soak up the constant praise they receive. They live for the love, praise and recognition, and allow it to positively influence their self worth. It's important to remain humble in the face of compliments and praise, but it's ok to accept it and be gracious. We all deserve to feel good about ourselves.

10. Stop And Smell The Roses

My dog stops to sniff almost every flower when we go on walks. It gets slightly annoying at times because it interrupts the walk, but I can never stay mad when I see how enthusiastically he seeks to explore all the beauty in life. Put away the technology once in a while and just explore everything around you. Be curious about the world you live in. Smell the roses.

11. Love Unconditionally

I don't think I will ever find someone who loves me the way my dog does. No matter what I do, he's there to greet me with a smile and countless kisses. He doesn't care if I'm dressed up or down, whether or not I have a ton of money, or if I passed or failed my exam. Loving unconditionally is one of the most difficult tasks in the world, but also the most rewarding. It's an act that is difficult, but one that would change the world if only we each tried a little bit harder to make it our reality.

There is so much that we have to learn from our dogs. They appreciate us, motivate us, inspire us and love us. In fact, your dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than themselves. And with that, the most important thing you can do is try to be that amazing person your dog thinks you are.

Why It Is Scientifically Proven That Golden Doodles Are The Best Kind Of Dogs

Let me first say that golden-doodles are golden retrievers and a poodle mix. It's a big difference from other doodles. This is a new, popular kind of dog, that is known worldwide. It has been proven (not really but let's say it is) that they are the best dogs ever, in every color. Here are some reasons why:

1. They are great with kids!

2. Especially sick kids or kids with disabilities!

3. They enjoy the party life!

4. They love every kind of weather!

5. They can help you pass the hardest levels on Candy Crush.

6. They think they are humans.

Or just big babies.

7. They have the best manners!

8. They give the best hugs!

9. They make great therapy dogs! (Plus they are hypoallergenic)

10. They make everything a treasure!

11. They make the best snuggle buddies.

12. They make you laugh on your worse days.

* Basically all these pictures*

13. They are superstars!!

14. They make great study buddies! (Very important for college students or middle/high school students)

5 Best Quotes By Ralph Ellison

Trained as a Jazz Musician at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama at the height of the Jim Crow Era in the South, Ellison's musical aspirations soon transformed into a sensibility more literary in nature when he became exposed to T.S. Eliot's renowned poem "The Wasteland". Publishing his first novel in 1952 titled "Invisible Man" which won The National Book Awards and placed 19th on the Modern Library out of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century, much like his poetic inspiration, Ellison has become a figure of timeless renown in his own right. Along with Toni Morrison, and James Baldwin, he was one of few writers to emerge in his timeframe who explored the perseverance of racism in America, and how it, to this day, hinders African-Americans from achieving a veritable sense of identity in the United States.

1. "I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me."

Much of who we are, and what we are is predicated on how people see us. If nothing is how they see us, then there's no what, and there's no who, because to them, we are nothing. Not even human, the only thing worthy of human consideration.

2. "Life is to be lived, not controlled, and humanity is won by continuing to play in face of certain defeat."

In life as we live through it, we will come to know much sadness, loss, and defeat. However, of all that withers and crumbles into dust, what is never forgotten is the honour, love, and courage we are capable of exhibiting in an effort to seize that one slim moment of triumph. A triumph that washes away the despair of defeat, loss, and sadness, and ignites anew, a courage, love, and honour that have been our meaning and glory, and of meanings and glories past.

3. "I was never more hated when I tried to be honest. Or when, even as just now I've tried to articulate exactly what I felt about truth. No one was satisfied."

No matter how you how live, even, or perhaps especially if its honest, you will never be able to impress everybody.

4. "When I discover who I am, I'll be free."

True liberation is not achieved by the size of our bank account, the car we own, and how we are regarded by our peers. It comes from knowing who we are. That's it. Always has been, always will be.

5. "I am not ashamed of my grandparents for having been slaves. I am only ashamed of myself for once having been ashamed.

Part of who we are is derived from where we come from, and from where we all come and then go home to, is family. Love it, or hate it, we don't get to chose our family, but we get to chose how it influences what we do, and what we become.

Though we are nowhere as close to discovering who we are as people as those that lived in Ralph Ellison's time, his words remain. To usher us along, even as we seek to usher in a new honor, love, and courage in colors yet unseen, but still very much remain an act of courage, honor, and love seen many times even as we are seen in them.